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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Talamas Broadcast is offering three free workshops on the ARRI Alexa Friday March 11th and Saturday March 12th. Presented by Michael Bravin, the workshops are identical, though the Friday 6pm event will include an ARRI Alexa Open House - an informal gathering with food and drinks where people can network and ask additional questions.

Roger Deakins Forum
Cinematographer Roger Deakins hosts a discussion forum on his website, and even pops up frequently to reply to questions and comment. Roger has made several comment's over the past year about the end of film and moving to digital, and he's answered several questions about this.

I did test the image from the Alexa right through to a release print. That's not something I always do but with a new camera and the digital format I wanted to be sure of the final image the audience would see if it were a film print.The main difference between film and digital is the sharpness of the image. The crisper digital image does tend to see more blemishes than a film image but that is purely to do with the way the camera resolves fine details.

More on Panasonic pre-NAB announcements
In addition to new workflow tools, Panasonic announced a new monitor, the BT-LH910l, a 9-inch LCD monitor for field and studio applications with 1280 x 768 WXGA pixel resolution, a new solid-state AG-HPD24 P2 deck, and reduced prices on P2 cards.Panasonic: Rolling The Dice At NAB with New Panasonic Pro Video Products

10 reasons to stay out of film businessJared Abrams at Wide Open Camera offers ten reasons why you shouldn't get involved in the film industry. Jared says he just wanted to share some of the hard truths of the business, and I think that can be useful BUT, I would point out that nearly every one of those reasons applies to other creative vocations.WideOpenCamera: 10 Reasons To Stay Away From The Film Business

And if you're really adventurous, Greg Royar shows how he created an automated slider based on an Igus slider in this video:Vimeo: DIY Automated Timelapse/Slider

Making Movies

Evan at The Black and Blue blog says it's okay to get excited about technology, but it's people who make movies, and ultimately it's the story that's important. TheBlackAndBlue: Cameras Don't Make Movies, People Do

Panasonic pre-announces professional solutions prior to NAB, including a new AVCCAM Importer that eliminates the need to convert AVCHD ".mts" files to ProRES422 files before editing in Final Cut Pro. BroadcastingCable: Panasonic Unveils Pre-NAB Product Plans

This is what an Editor does: 25 days of editing work compressed into 3 minutes. It's a bit like watching that guys six years of photo's of himself. ProVideoCoalition: Time lapse of a Television Editor

PrimateLabs did some benchmarks on the new MacBook Pros and found the performance "amazing." The fastest is 80% faster than the previous fastest machine. In fact:

...if you look at our Mac Benchmark charts, you'll see that the fastest MacBook Pro is faster than a lot of Mac Pros (including the current generation of Mac Pros). The new MacBook Pros truly are portable workstations.

How Much Would You Pay For The Panasonic AG-AF100?
Cinematographer David Wexler got to use the Panasonic AG-AF100 for a recent one day shoot, and was impressed:

Overall, I was very pleased with the cameras performance. All the on board tools I expected in a video camera were there. The large sensor made a big difference in isolating focus to, “tell a better story”. The micro 4/3rds format on the AG-AF100 seems to be the most readily adaptable on the planet so it is easy to [use] a variety of lenses without modifying the existing mount and voiding any warranties.

Interestingly, he relates that he asked a Panasonic rep why the camera used SD cards rather than P2 cards, and the rep implied that it would have doubled the price of the camera.Zacuto: How Much Would You Pay For It?

Using The Panasonic AG-AF100EOSHD spent the day playing with, and comparing the Panasonic AG-AF100 and GH2. There's some interesting observations comparing the - admittedly - very different cameras. One's a professional video camera, while the other is a consumer still's camera that does video; but they are often compared because the chip, electronics and video output are identical/very similar.

The GH2 has more rolling shutter on it's HDMI output than in live view on the LCD, which is strange. What appears to be happening is a bit of line skipping to produce a low resolution live view feed for the LCD, whilst the more sophisticated pixel binning technique is used for HDMI and it's full 1080p obviously, so rolling shutter is worse.

Sony NEX-5 ShootMatthew Jeppsen writes about a proof of concept shoot done with the Sony NEX-5. The NEX-5 is a still camera that has the same mount and similar - maybe identical - chip and electronics as the NEX-VG10; but it's a lot smaller!

Despite the challenges of working with the camera system (very few manual controls), we think that the finished result turned out pretty well. And I was very impressed with the quality of the Sony Alpha lenses that attached via an E-mount-to-Alpha adapter for the NEX camera.

Lighting should be your first step, but capturing gorgeous images with DSLRs in low light situations is not only a possibility, but an artistic venture with the amount of control offered by these cameras. In this video tutorial, Robbie and Richard discuss low-light shooting strategies, including controlling your aperture, ISO, lenses, and shutter speed.

Amazon StreamingDon Reisinger at CNET takes a look to see whether Amazon Prime streaming is really supported by "200 devices."

All in all, Amazon's new streaming plan works quite well. Amazon's library isn't as deep as Netflix's, but with 5,000 pieces of content already, there is plenty to choose from. If Amazon adds more content over the coming months, its streaming service might just cement itself as a worthwhile competitor to Netflix in the booming streaming market.

So its inventing/creating more “in-between frames” through this smoothing process and it kills the the whole 24 frames per second look that film had and makes it move more like - VIDEOTAPE! Wasn’t that what we were trying to get away from?

Without getting into the substance of the debate, a little historical note. The Doctor notes that:

It was determined years ago that 24 was the minimum amount of frames per second your mind could see and process, AND still see it as a persistence of fluid motion.

But Mark Schubin, a film/technology historian, says that prior to sound, films were being projected at a range of speeds; some slower and some faster than 24fps. Stanley Watkins from Western Electric did a study of the speeds being used,

But he found that if he did a weighted average of what the big theaters and the little theaters were doing, he came up with 24. And 24 happened to be, for the number of frames there are in 35 mm film, 90 feet per second, which was a nice round number.

There was no big party, but Apple announced new MacBook Pros this morning. Notably, the 15 and 17-inch models feature quad-core Intel Core i7 processors.

They've also announced Thunderbolt; which was previously referred to as Light Peak, but it appears everyone is using the Thunderbolt name now, Intel has their own page up about it.

All interesting stuff, though I'm not in a market for a new MacBook Pro at the moment. I'm assuming they'll bring this stuff to the iMac next; which would turn the iMac into a powerful editing system too. Ahh, so many ways to spend money!

Philip Bloom, with support from Rode Microphones and KesslerCrane is running another "competition" - I'm not even sure that's the right word - but donate to the New Zealand Earthquake Relief Appeal, then send the receipt to Philip and you'll be in for a chance to win one of the prizes. They did a similar appeal for the Queensland Flood Appeal and raised over $25,000!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I mentioned last week that at the BOSFCPUG Mixer,Stuart Cummings of Watermark Productions had said that he'd heard reports of problems from some people who were trying to use the Panasonic GH2 with the Ki Pro Mini, but since he'd only just got the unit himself, he hadn't yet been able to try it.

Well Stuart dropped me a note to let me know that he did try the GH2 with the Ki Pro Mini, and it doesn't seem to work. But the Panasonic AG-AF100 works just fine.

Larry Jordan has confirmed that he went to Cupertino last week and got a look at the upcoming version of Final Cut Pro. He says that he can't say much else about it, though he did tweet that it was "jaw-dropping"!LarryJordan: I’ve Seen The New Version of Final Cut Pro…

Speaking of technical specs, the Bloggie Touch outshines the Flip UltraHD in every scenario. Offering great zoom, resolution, Face Detection, Image Stabilization, Macro Auto Focus, Self Time and still camera to name a few. On top of that, Sony placed a Exmor™ CMOS Sensor under the hood, insuring crisp video both during daylight and nighttime.

Apple Rumors
If rumors are to be believed, it looks like Apple will announce new MacBook Pros, new iMacs, the iPad2, a Final Cut Pro update - pretty much everything you can think of - sometime soon. And one of the things being talked about is Light Peak which is a high speed communication protocol developed with Intel and it sounds like it could replace USB, Firewire, Ethernet, you name it.Engadget: Apple's Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros?

Low Cost Lens Gears
The low-cost lens gears from Half Inch Rails are available and are being sold by Wide Open Camera. They cost $45 for three.WideOpenCamera: HIR Lens Gears

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Panasonic 3D Lens & Camcorder
I actually got to see the Panasonic 3D conversion lens (VW-CLT1) at a Best Buy store on the weekend. Unfortunately, the camcorder wasn't working - the battery was flat - but I could actually handle it. It was smaller than I had imagined, so on the front of a small camcorder, it wasn't that unwieldy. It was very plasticy, but that's not exactly surprising.

"Within North America, the industry shipped some 2 million Full HD 3D enabled televisions after just nine months on the market," he said."This is a significant milestone. It means we have already surpassed what I call the laserdisc threshold. We have already taken 3D from geekdom to an early mass market."

At the Film Nation Shorts Awards 2010 yesterday, The Sky Creative team talked about how they created the new Panasonic Sky Movies sponsorship ident that is played before each 3D Movie, and @PanasonicUK tweeted some of the advice they passed on:

"Think what your shooting and try and get as many layers in the frame"

It was rumored a month or so ago, and now they've gone and made it official. Amazon is offering free streaming for (many) movies and TV shows to their Amazon Prime members (Amazon Prime costs $79 a year, and provides free two-day shipping on all orders.)

I have Amazon Prime, so I can watch now on my computer, but it appears that I don't have anything (at the moment) that will let me stream to my TV. I may have to buy something like the Roku XD Streaming Player 1080p

UPDATE 2: Just watched a bit of Silverado. Impressed that it started so quickly - I figured they'd be deluged right now - and quality is just okay; Standard Def, not HD

UPDATE 3 10PM: Looks like you do get HD versions. Waiting a minute or two at full screen, the resolution improves on my computer (hard to tell whether 720p or what it is, but it's pretty good, and a friend with a Roku says he's getting HD on his TV set.]

Sony PMW-F3 Preliminary TestsTimur Civan reports on ISO tests with the new Sony PMW-F3 conducted to look for the noise floor and clipping points of the camera.

in conclusion, some more obvious than others.

consider your absolute work horse iso's 280, 400, 800.

the higher iso's is tolerable according to each person that uses it, but honestly in the biggest of emergencies it's not a disaster if you have to use them. but if you are shooting a feature film, you should be able to light at a 280, and 400 most of to all of the time, and 800 when it's a rushed night/day. and have little to no issues in post.

YouTube to Award $10,000 Grants to Nonprofits
YouTube is running a competition for Nonprofit organization videos:

Beginning today, video submissions will be accepted until March 2, 2011 when a panel of expert judges will select four finalists in each category, which include Best Small Organization Video, Best Medium Organization Video, Best Large Organization Video, and Best Thrifty Video (for videos produced for under $500).

Five Common Focus Puller MistakesThe Black and Blue blog is back with more tips for focus pulling:

A rack focus done right will be seamless and unnoticeable by the audience. Done wrong, however, and it can attract a lot of unwanted attention. Part of mastering the rack focus is to understand the mood, the pace, and the tone of the scene. It will also largely be determined by the camera move itself.

The Canon 5D Mark II Was A Game Changer At The AP
It's easy to forget that the video capability of the 5D Mark II was originally inserted at the request of the AP (and other news organizations) who were looking for the ability to shoot short video clips to put up on the web. Kevin Roach, AP's VP for Broadcast News talks to Beet.TV.Beet.TV: A Canon Still Camera is a "Game Changer" for Video Journalism, the AP's Kevin Roach

There are several routes you can take to become a professional filmmaker & no one is better than the other. However, I firmly believe that you can read all the books and attend whatever classes you want, but the best way to learn filmmaking is by doing it. Learn by doing. If you want to direct, borrow a camera and direct something.

The 50 Greatest Film Titles
A lists of the greatest film titles, includes a description and YouTube clips. The "Touch of Evil" (#3) opening is curious because Wells wanted to remove the credits from the famous crane shot.IFC: The 50 Greatest Opening Title Sequences of All Time

Monday, February 21, 2011

I've had the Steadicam Smoothee for iPhone 4 for a few days now, but the weather being what it is, I've really only had one chance to spend any extended time shooting with it. Last Friday I shot some behind-the-scenes video at a taping of the Melrose Massachusetts Television (MMTV) program "After Hours with T.C. Restani."

Apart from the usual iPhone video complaints - poor sound, difficulty in poor lighting - the Smoothee itself seemed to perform pretty well. Operator error may still be at work here - this was the first extended time I spent using it - so I may still get better. As with a "regular" Steadicam, for best results you want to plan out your moves; if the talent suddenly changes direction, it can cause you serious framing problems!

I also wish there was better exposure control (actually any exposure control) on the iPhone!

But perhaps most of all, I'm thinking that some kind of lens shade - maybe just a piece of black paper taped on the front of the iPhone - could improve things; I had a lot of problems with the studio lights washing out the picture when pointing the camera in some directions.

One last note; putting your iPhone on one of these completely does away with "shooting incognito"; everybody seems to notice it!

One of the interesting items on display at last weeks BOSFCPUG + BOSDSLR Mixer was the Sohotank, a drive storage enclosure available in two, four and eight slot configurations. An 8-bay unit was brought along by local reseller, Stuart Cummings of Watermark Productions.

The four and eight-bay Sohotank units are available in models that support eSATA or mini-SAS. In addition to the Sohotank models, there are also Sohoraid models. The
4-bay Sohotank ST5610 and the Sohoraid SR4 seem very similar; I'm not
sure of the exact differences!

I'd not heard of these before, and they seem to be difficult to find online; it's not even obvious if you can order them on the manufacturer's website!

At around $600 for the eight-bay unit (I can find no pricing for the four bay Sohotank!) these might be an alternative to the Drobo unit.

A Big Year For CamerasMatthew Allard, Aljazeera Senior Field Cameraman, Kuala Lumpur writes that "2011 promises to be the most exciting yet for professional shooters," and looks at what has come, and what might be just around the corner.

The article opens with a little hint of conspiracy theory:

The other problem I suspect has been the case for a long time is that Japanese companies seem to have informal agreements with each other. No one likes to shame another company by bringing out something that is so much better than any one else’s product.

And yet in talking about whether Canon will release something that competes with the Panasonic AG-AF100, he lists four very different reasons why they might not, and doesn't include the conspiracy theory:

They may be very happy with selling DSLR’s and don’t want to take away potential sales in that area.

It’s not cost effective for them to build a Hybrid DSLR/Video camera at this point in time.

They are waiting to see what everyone else has done and then respond.

They are planning on building a more high end camera to compete in a completely different market.

Also overlooked; the upcoming Sony NXCAM 35mm camera (though interestingly, the release of this camera probably won't be that startling, following on as it does from the Panasonic AG-AF100 and Sony PMW-F3.)

Gale Tattersall InterviewPhoto Cine News has an interview with House Director of Photography, Gale Tattersall.

Tattersall told me there are two things to know as a cinematographer; you have to know how to compress life into the medium you are using. For example if you are shooting digital video how do you shoot a scene so that it reflects the almost limitless latitude of the human eye while contending with the technological limits of the medium. And second, you have to know what you want to your audience to look at, at that point in time in the story.

Employing the Art of Editing Seminar by Thomas Ethan HarrisEric Harnden writes about his experience at an editing seminar given by Thomas Harris:

What did we learn [from these two clips]? Both great movies. Both with pretty much the same scene. There was some differences in the cutting. Did the quicker cuts feed the frenzy of the later film? Yes. Take away from this portion of the program: study these two scenes ('cause I can't describe all the cuts to you) and see what differences you can see.

The whole night and the entirety of my review will be a "go do some homework and improve your filmmaking" primer.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Danny Cohen on The King's SpeechStudioDaily has an interview with Danny Cohen, cinematographer for The King's Speech.

The montage scene where Colin Firth is going through his vocal exercises, for example. We shot almost all of that handheld, save for one dolly shot, in 20 minutes at the end of the day. We had a time constraint (we were losing the afternoon light) so we had to figure out the quickest way to shoot it. We decided it was best to put the camera on the shoulder and shoot it really simply. The process of filmmaking invites so many ideas and strong points of view, but the reality on set is most decisions are made by necessity.

How to be a better Focus PullerThe Black and Blue blog provides three tips for improving your focus pulling skills:

The easiest way to become a better focus puller is to become exceptionally accurate at guessing distances. You should strive to become a human measuring tape. The best 1st AC’s will walk into a room and have a real, tangible sense of the space they’re in.

Cineroid EVF Review
Both Redrock and Zacuto have received a lot of attention for their upcoming EVF's, but Cineroid has gone and beaten them both to the punch; their EVF seems to be shipping, and James Stoneley has a review:

Overall I’m very impressed with the EVF. It’s light, well built, has a ton of useful features and I think it’s quite good value for money. It’s not cheap but you get a lot of bang for your buck and it’s the first of its kind to come to market. I love the freedom it gives you to shoot accurately without a cumbersome monitor.